Lathe-carriage-feed mechanism



March 19, 192:9.4 A E. R, SEWARD 1,705,545

LATHE CARRIAGE FEED MECHANISH March 19, 1929. E. R. sEwARD 1,705,545

LATHE CARRIAGE FEED MIEGHANISM' Patented hda1'. i9, i229.

ERNEST n. snit/Ann, or sT. Louis, Missouri, assiettes.' To LEHMANN ivriioHINncoi/ iu PANY, 0F ST. LOUIS, MISSGUEE,

A CORPORATION 0F MISSOURI.

LATHE-CARRIAGE-FEED lvlllCECAIII'ISII.y

Application filed September 121, 1953?.. Serial N i,j218,876.

My invention relates to lathes and has for its principaly object to provide vimproved mechanism for effecting a rapid "feed of the lathe carriage thereof independently of .ordinary carriage feed. VvOther objects are to enable the carriage to be quickly and easily engaged with and disengaged i'roin the rapid feed mechanism, and to provider for simplicity and cheapness of construction and coinpactness ot design.

rlhe invention consists principally vin a continuously operating endless chain-mounted on the lathe bedl and traveling in the direction inA which 'the lathe carriage moves and in mechanism 'forrconnecting the carriage with either stretch ot said chain to cause said carriage to move therewith in either direction of its vsliding ni0vement. The invention also consists in the parts and in the combinations and arrangements of parts hereinafter described and claimed. j

-In the aeconij'ianyingv drawing, which 'forms part of this specification and wherein like symbols refer to like parts 4wherever they occur, v

Fig. l is a. rear elevation of a lathe equipped with a rapid traverse mechanism embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged vertical cross-section on the line 2-2 in' Fig. Y1; and Fig. 3 is a vertical section through the housing for the driving sprocket and worin gearing on the line 3-3 in Fig. 1.

Referring to the accompanying drawing, my invention is shown in connection with va lathe comprising Va .bed Ll, a tail VstockV l5, a head stock 6 providedv with'a main driving pulley 7, and a carriage 8 mounted on ways on top of the bed for sliding movement loe-V tween said khead stock and said tail stock. This construction of lathe is well known and itis considered unnecessary to illustrate it in detail.

Located at the rear side of the lathe bed is a continuously operating endless sprocket chain 9 arranged with its oppositely moving stretches one above the other. f The sprocket chain is supported at oneV end by means of an idler sprocket wheel 10 fixed to a hori- Zontal shaft 11 journaled in a housing 12, which is adjustably secured to the rear tace of the lathebed by means' of cap screws 13, which extend through horizontal vslots 14; in said housing land arethreaded into said lathe bed. The'housing 12 adjusted vto take jup-slack in its sprocket chain by means of an adjusting screw 15, which. is

threadedthrough a lug 16, on said housing,

in position to abut against the adjacentv end ot. the lathebed. The adjusting screw 15 is located in the desired adjusted position by means of lock nuts 17. Y

lThe opposite ,end of the endless lspreche chain 9 is supported on a driving sprocket wheel 18 fixed to the hub of the worm gear 19 journaledy on a horizontal. shaft 20f1'ixedj in a housing 21 attached to the rear side of the lathe bed. The worm' `gear19 is driven by ineans'of a worm 22 locatedrin the heus? i1ig21 beneathsaid worin gear Vand is'ixed to one end oa horizontally disposed worm shaft 23, which endiis rotatablysupported in said housing.'k The other end of the lhorif yzontallyjdisposed worm driveshaft 23 ex,n tendsl'breyond the head stock end of the Y `lathe and' is rotatably supportedl in a bearing 241- provided'therefor ina bracket25, .which is bolted' to the rear side ofthe lathe bed. j rlhis end of the worin drive'lshaft 23 is extended far enough beyond the Vvbearing 24to accommodate a pulley 26 which istixed thereto. This pulley is driven from the continuously drivenzmain drive pulley 7 of the lathe by .means of a belt 28 which passes over the worm shaft' pulley 26 and a pulley 29 which is fixed to said main drive pulley.

The lathe lcarriage is connected to the upper and lower stretches of the continuously operating sprocket chain 9, vto cause'it to move rapidly along vthe lathe bed in'either direction, by means ot' a rack bar 30 arranged for vertically sliding movement betweenv the upper and lower stretches `of the continu- Yo'usly operating vsprocket chain. This rack barl is mounted in a vvertical slideway 31 providedy therefor in the outer Vface oit av bracket 32 which depends from the rear side of the carriage, between theV sprocket lchain and the rear side of the lathe bed and-may be bolted to lor made integral'with the carriage. The outer face oit' the depending carriagebracket'32 is also provided labove and below the rack bar 30 with horizontal slidef ways'33 for slidably supporting the yreverselyl moving upper and lower stretches of the sprocketl chain. vThe vertically slidable rackV bar 30 is provided at' its upperand lower ends with teeth Btadapted toenterv the links in the upper and lower stretches seV Vthis stretch'of the chain is travelling. The rack bar is shifted vertically yiii the depending carriage bracket to engage one or the other of the two. stretches oi the sprocket Ychain by' means of `a horizontally pivot-ed lever 35 mounted` for yvertically swinging movement on a horizontal pivot pin 36 in a vertical Vslot 37 provided therefor in a cover plate 38 bolted or otherwise detachably se`v .cured to the rear face ofv the depending carriage bracket 32., The inner arm of the hori- Zontally pivoted lever 35 is provided with teeth which intermesh with the teeth on the Outer face of the racl'fbar 30 and the outer arm of said lever has a link connection 39 with a rock arm 40 fixed tothe rear end ot a horizontalvrock rod orv shaft 41 lwhich eX- teuds across the top otthe carriageA and is journaled in the bearings 42 secured thereto. The'frofnt end ot' the rock rod 4l terminates Aadjacent to the front side et the .lathe and is provided with an operating handle 50. y

The vertically sliding rack bar 30 is normally held out of engagement with theupper and lower stretches of the continuously operating sprocket chain by means ot pins 43 slidably Vmounted in recesses 44 provided therefor. in the cover plate 38 above and below the inner arm of the lever 35. The pins 43 are disposed with their inner ends in abutting relation to the top and bottom edges of the inner arm oit the lever 35. The pins 43 are pressed against the top and bottom edges of the inner armof the lever 35 by mea-ns oi"- coiled springs 45 mounted on said pins between stopr shoulders 46 at the inner endsy thereof and ,plugs 47, which are threaded into thev outer ends of tliefrecesses 44 and are perforated to slidably support the outer ends ot said pins. The pressure oi' the springs may be regulated vby adjusting the threaded plugs.

-By the arrangement described, the lathe carriage 8 can be rapidly moved along'the with' either bar 30,. causes said bai' to bey shifted vertically into engagement with one or the other of the oppositely moving stretches of the continuously operating sprocket chain, de-

- pending on the direction in which the inner y arm of said lever is swung. `Thus, the clar-A riage may be shifted in either direction ot` is desired to sto 9 the carriae'e the o eratine 23 Y C handle is released, .thereby .permitting the spring pressed 'pins tol return the `rapid traverse mechanism to its normal or inoperative position'.

' The hereinbefore described"arrangement admits otcoi'isiderable modification without ,departing lfrom theinvention; therefore, l do not wish to be limited to the precise arrangement shown and described.

lVliat I claim is: j

l. In a lathe, the combination with a bed, and zie-carriage movable 4along said bed, of a continuously operating endless ,sprocket chain secured to `said bed and traveling in theV direction of sliding mcvement of *said carriage, means torconnecting said carriage of the oppesitely movi-ng stretches ot' sai-d end of the sprocket chain, said means comprising single member mounted in 'seid' carriage entirely between said stretches for sliding movement into and out oit engagement with eitherot the oppo- K Va continuously operating endless sprocket chain mounted en said, bed and traveling in the direction et the sliding movement et'.

said carriage, means tor connecting said can riage with either et the oppositely moving imi stretches of said end ot tliesprocket chain,

said means comprising a single member mounted on said carriage entirely between said sti'etehesiiorsliding movement into and out of engagement with either et the oppositely moving stretches of said endless chain, means mounted on the carriage toi actuating said slinable member, and yieldable means tor normally maintaining said sliding memy bei out ot vengagement with bothV stretches of said chain.

3.- In a lathe,the `combination with a bed, and a carriage movable along said bed, of a continuously operating endless sprocket chain secured to said bed vand traveling in the direction ofi sliding movement ofV said` carriage,means tor connecting said carriage with either of the oppositely moving stretches ot said end ot thesprocket chain, said `means comprising a single member mounted in said carriage betweenl said stretches toi' sliding-movement into and out link connection between said rod' and the,

other arm of said lever.

ll. In a lathe, the combination with a bed, and a carriage movable along said bed, ot a continuously operating endless sprocket vchain secured to said bed and traveling in the direction of sliding'movement of said carriage, means for connecting said carriage with either of the oppositely moving stretches of said chain, said means comprising a single member mounted in said carriage between said stretches for sliding movement into and out ot engagement with either stretch ot said chain, a lever mounted on said carriage and having one arm operatively connected with said slidahle member for actuating the same, a rock rod mounted on said carriage, a link connection between said rod and the other arm of said lever, and means engaging said lever for normally holding said slidable chain engaging meinbei' out of engagement with both stretches o'l:l said chain. f

5. In a lathe, the combination with a bed, and a carriage movable along said bed, ot a continuously operating endless sprocket chain mounted on said bed 'and traveling in the direction ot sliding movement of said carriage, means for connecting said oarriage with either of the oppositely moving stretches of said end oit the sprocket chain, said means comprising a single member vmount-ed in said carriage between said riage, a link connection between said rod.

lever.

Y stretches of said end ot the sprocket chain,

and said lever, and means for Anormally holding said chain engaging member and the actuating members therefor in inopera tive position, said means comprising spring pressed pins mounted in said carriage and bearing against the opposite sides ot said lever to resist swinging movement thereof.

6. ln a lathe, the combination with a bed,

and a carriage movable along said bed, of

a continuously operating endless sprocket chain mountedon said bed and traveling in the direction of sliding movement ot said carriage, means for connecting said carriage' with either of f the oppositely moving stretches oi said end of the sprocket chain, said means comprising rack bar mounted on said carriage between said stretches 'for sliding movement into and out of engagement with either stretch of said chain, a lever mounted on said carriage and having teeth inteiineshing with the teeth of vsaid racky bar, and a rock rod vmounted on said oari-iage and having a link connection with said 7. In a` lathe, the combination with a bed, and a carriage movable along saidbed, of a' continuously operating endless sprocket chain mounted on said bed and traveling in the direction of sliding movement of said f i carriage, 'means for connecting said cariage with either of the oppositely moving said means comprisinga rack bar mounted on said lcarriage between said stretches for sliding movement into and out of yengagement with either stretch of said chain, a lever mounted on said carriage and having teeth meshingwith the teeth on said rack bar, a rock rod extending transversely of the carriage, a link connection between said rod andsaid lever, and means for normally holding said rack bar and the actuatingmembers therefor in operative position, said means comprising spring pressed pins mounted on. said carriage and bearing against the opposite sides of said lever.

Signed at St. Louis, Missouri, this 8th day of September, 1927. v

ERNEST R. SEVVARD. 

